Tuesday, 15 September 2015

How The Assad Regime Pushes Syrians Out, Fueling Refugee Surge

"The regime has not relented on its crackdown of anyone suspected of being opposed to Mr. Assad. They're still detaining people, torturing people, according to the reports we're getting. They're still besieging opposition areas, starving them of food, denying them medicine and also bombing them almost on a daily basis. And then there's also the constant threat of being drafted into the army. A lot of families are opting to leave instead of having, you know, their sons go into the Army." There is a ridiculous piece by Ian Black¹ in today's Guardian, where he tells us, "In places such as nearby Douma and other parts of the eastern Ghouta region – ruled by what the authorities call “terrorists” and by the UN, “armed opposition groups” (AOGs) – schools do operate, and the staff are still paid by the central government, on paper at least. But that is the limit of its involvement." They are also involved by bombing² all the schools. And, "teachers in liberated areas of the southern province of Daraa risk being arrested because they have to visit the regime’s intelligence services before receiving payment from the Directorate of Education."³ That Ian Black gives more than equal coverage to the lies of the régime supporters is a poor reflection on his journalistic standards, as well as a result of only reporting from the government side. Just as Jeremy Bowen⁴ is doing, also from Damascus, advising us that Assad's army is professional and disciplined and can fight indefinitely.